1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure and more particularly to a convertible vehicle body structure. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a convertible vehicle body having a roof structure which is divided into front and rear roof portions which are retracted separately into the vehicle body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical type of convertible vehicle body is the one which has a roof structure made of a foldable hood. Since the foldable hood is flexible in nature, it has a tendency of fluttering under a high speed operation of the vehicle. Further, the foldable hood structure does not give an attractive appearance.
The Japanese laid-open patent application 53-57617 corresponding to the Italian patent application 69625 filed in Italy on Nov. 2, 1976 discloses a convertible vehicle body structure having a rigid roof. According to the teachings by the Japanese patent application, the front part of the roof is separated from the rear part and the front part is retracted by means of a linkage and a guide mechanism into a space provided behind the passenger's seats. The Japanese patent application however does not teach at all with respect to the rear part of the roof.
The British Pat. No. 2,086,316 discloses a convertible vehicle body which has roof structure including a rigid front roof panel and a foldable rear hood section. The front roof panel is designed so that it can be removed by hand. The rear hood section has at a front edge portion a roll hoop member of an inverted U-shape which is swingable between an extended position in which the hoop member stands upright from the body and a retracted position in which the hoop member is retracted into the body. The structure disclosed by the British patent is disadvantageous in that the front roof panel must be removed by hand to obtain an open top feature. Further, the foldable hood adopted in the rear section does not make the appearance of the body attractive.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,939,742 discloses a convertible vehicle body structure including a roof structure having a front and rear roof sections both made of rigid panels. The front roof panel is hinged at the rear edge portion to the front edge portion of the rear roof panel and the front and rear roof panels are moved simultaneously between an extended position and a retracted position. In the retracted position, the roof panels are laid one over the other and stored in a rear portion of the vehicle body. The structure proposed by the U.S. patent is not recommendable in that it would not be easy to secure the space for storing the roof panels because of the interference with the tire houses for the rear wheels. Further, the mechanism for actuating the roof panels will become complicated.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,502 discloses another type convertible vehicle body which has a roll bar of an inverted U-shape for supporting a rear edge portion of a rigid roof panel. The roof panel is removed by hand and the roll bar is powered to move between an extended position and a retracted position. This structure is not convenient for providing an open top feature because the roof panel must be manually removed. Further, the structure cannot be easily applied to a vehicle body having rear seats.